Schwarber ‘Most Likely Probably Not’ Returning This Year…Or Is He?
When Kyle Schwarber went down with a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee during his second game of the season on April 7, he was presumed lost for the season. Even with the length of a 162-game schedule, a return at any point prior to spring training in 2017 would seem impossible for a normal human being. But this is War Bear we’re talking about.
Schwarber’s been able to remain in Chicago during the course of his rehab, a luxury afforded by the Cubs’ state-of-the-art clubhouse, so we’ve seen him in the dugout and even delivering the lineup card on occasion. He went from hobbling out on a crutch like Tiny Tim at the home opener to moving with an unassisted hitch like Chris Bosio to looking like nothing’s wrong at all. It’s hard not to be optimistic when you can see that progress happening before your eyes.
So what does Schwarber say about his chances?
Schwarber on his chances of returning this year: most likely probably not. We are shooting for spring, but, I'm going to push myself as
— Mark Grote (@markgrotesports) August 18, 2016
hard as I can to come back as soon as I can, but it is sounding like it's going to be spring
— Mark Grote (@markgrotesports) August 18, 2016
“Most likely probably not,” huh? I don’t know about you, but I read that as, “Hell yeah I’ll be ready in time for October, baby!” And when I read “come back as soon as I can,” all I can think is:
And this:
Oh, also this:
Okay, there’s probably no way he comes back before next year. I mean, I was back on the basketball court less than four months after an ACL reconstruction, but that was probably not smart and I wasn’t a key piece of a billion-dollar sports machine. War Bear no doubt wants to get back out there tomorrow, it’s just not a good idea in terms of his long-term health and production. Even so, I keep thinking about having him in there to DH against righties should things get to that point.
Hey, a boy can dream.